The Pollyanna Principles, by Hildy Gottlieb, is a book about bringing the connection paradigm to Community Benefit Organizations (CBOs). It’s awesome. Hildy is totally a freaky revolutionary, and she is changing the world in weird and wonderful ways. In fact, if you look over to the right sidebar, you’ll see that we’ve added her to our list of notable revolutionaries. Congrats, Hildy!

What’s a Community Benefit Organization?

Glad you asked! It’s what is currently called a non-profit organization. Hildy makes the good point that defining organizations by what they don’t do is focusing on a lack and missing the point. Much better to rephrase things positively and focus on the goal of these organizations: to benefit the community. This rephrasing will help CBOs stay focused on their goals instead of focusing on their lack of funds.

What is The Pollyanna Principles about?

It’s about shifting from victimhood to empowerment.

It’s about shifting from an attitude of “How can we make the current situation suck less?” to “How can we create a new and wonderful future?”

It’s about shifting from control to connection.

So what are these “Pollyanna Principles”?

The Ends:

#1: We accomplish what we hold ourselves accountable for.

#2: Each and every one of us is creating the future, every day, whether we do so consciously or not.

The Means:

#3: Everyone and everything is interconnected and interdependent, whether we acknowledge that or not.

#4: “Being the change we want to see” means walking the talk of our values.

#5: Strength builds upon our strengths, not our weaknesses.

#6: Individuals will go where systems lead them.

Is this book for me?

The Pollyanna Principles is a must-read for anyone who is moved by the principles of the Freak Revolution and wants to change the world by working in or with Community Benefit Organizations.

It’s not just a statement of principles; there are oodles of real-world examples and concrete suggestions for how to implement the principles. It’s basically an instruction manual: How to Revolutionize the World Through Community Benefit Organizations.

How about an inspiring and apropos quote from Buckminster Fuller?

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

-Buckminster Fuller

Yeah!

In his new book Linchpin, Seth Godin convinces you to become a linchpin — someone who’s indispensible. How do you do that? By being a freak and a revolutionary.

I’m not even kidding.

Seth doesn’t use those exact words, but this book is about the Freak Revolution. It’s about how we can revolutionize the job culture and thereby the world.

Be a freak (what Seth would call a heretic) because the old way of doing things is broken. The freaks are the only ones who are willing to break the rules and step outside the box.

Be a revolutionary (what Seth would call a leader) because no one is going to tell you what to do. There is no map. It’s up to you to step up and change the world.

Like we’ve been saying. (:

p.20

There’s a revolution going on, baby, and things ain’t never gonna be the same. It used to be that you could make a good living being told what to do (control paradigm), but in the new world of work, it’s all about creativity and authentic human interactions (connection paradigm).

It reminds me of all those sci-fi stories about the future economies that arise after all our basic and comfort needs are trivially met by a workforce of robot drones. What do those sci-fi economies value? Art. Delivering unique creativity. The future is closer than you might have thought.

It also reminds me of Atlas Shrugged 2: One Hour Later. (:

p.46

Public school teaches you to conform and obey. Seth doesn’t talk explicitly about homeschooling or unschooling, but we’re on the same page when it comes to our opinions of public school.

p.158

Gifts build connection. Gifts build tribes. A gift freely given is rooted in connection. A “gift” with expectation of reciprocation is rooted in control.

p.138

Mark Silver says that everything is going to be okay.

Seth Godin says that “No, everything is not going to be okay.”

I completely and wholeheartedly agree with both of them.

As with most things, it depends on what you mean by “okay”.

Seth is right that you can’t depend on physical or material safety. Seth is also right that you can’t depend on emotional safety, unless you’re perfectly armored or perfectly enlightened.

But Mark is right that you can depend on spiritual safety. If you know that you are Loved, if you know that your Self is far more than your circumstances, if you know that there is love available even here… then you know, deep in your heart, that everything will be okay, no matter what.

Yes, you might face hardship. Yes, your project might fail. Yes, people might be cruel to you.

Yes, there is love available even here.

p.106

Well, I’ll be! Seth Godin is talking about the triple soul! He labels Higher Self daemon, and Fetch lizard brain. He only mentions Talking Self implicitly (as the part of us that strives to bridge the two other parts) but it’s fascinating to see it from a different perspective.

pp.32,175-178

I’m always amazed by Seth’s talent for brevity with impact. He summarizes four entire chapters of The Usual Error in four pages. The usual error, it’s not all about me, the lollipop, and part of rephrasing things positively — the part that talks about how “I can’t” is a cop-out. We can always come up with excuses to limit ourselves and make ourselves feel comfortable and safe, but don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s anything but your own choice.

pp.31,105,116,129

Real art requires imperfectionism. Delegate wholeheartedly. Always have exactly one mid-boss. Seek out discomfort. No one actually knows what to do. “I’ll do what I love later” never works. Accept that you might step on a snake.

We tell ourselves stories in which we play the part of the hero: the iPhone effect. This particularly amuses me because I thought the iPhone effect was inspired by a post Seth wrote, but it wasn’t. And now he finally writes about it in Linchpin.

Growth can be painful. You may lose friends and loved ones. But you will gain new ones. (This, on page 31, was the first point in the book when I cried. The way Seth talks about this is so kind and compassionate.)

p.236

“The result of getting back in touch with our pre-commercial selves will actually create a post-commercial world that feeds us, enriches us, and gives us the stability we’ve been seeking for so long.”

Yes, that quote is from Linchpin. Doesn’t it remind you of something that could have been written by Daniel Quinn in Beyond Civilization?

pp.59,71,108,234-236

The control-based job culture sucks your soul.

People are starving for authentic connection.

It all comes down to fear and love.

Be an edgewalker. Break the rules.

Change the world.

Shift the paradigm.

Despite the fact that it’s only January, I hereby give Linchpin my Best Book of 2010 Award.

Go.

Read it.

Then live it.

Zappos understands what their customers want. They get it.

I’ve bought several things from them. They offer free shipping on everything, both to you and return shipping if you need to return something. They have 24/7 customer service, via email or phones. They let you keep things up to 365 days before returning them (they do have to be in brand-new condition, but still!).

But all that is just window dressing, the frosting on the cake.

Yesterday, I bought a purse from them. They upgraded my shipping to overnight – for free – so it got here today. I tried it out, decided it’s too tall (I’m insanely picky), and started the return process. They said if I opted to take store credit, they’d give me free overnight shipping on my next purchase as well. Since my next purchase was to be immediate (my second choice of purse), I went for that. The site said that once UPS informed them that the package was on its way back, they’d credit my account.

But then I checked on my second choice purse, and found that there were only three left. Not wanting it to go away before getting my credit, I decided to give them a call and see what we could do – expecting them to politely tell me there wasn’t anything they could do, so sorry, good luck!

Not only did I get the nicest customer service rep ever, and not only did he talk to me about silly movies and music and how much we both love Austin, he immediately switched my credit around, ordered the second purse, had it overnighted, and credited my card the $5 difference, with only one very polite request for me to drop the first purse in the mail at my earliest convenience. Wham, bam, done in three minutes.

Holy shit.

This is excellent customer service. Above and beyond. They’ve always been good to me via email, and this was the first time I’ve talked to a rep on the phone. He was so nice to me, I actually felt a little sad that I never had to call them before.

Not your typical feeling after dealing with customer service.

So what have I done? I’ve talked up the company to all my friends. I gush about them constantly. I’ve bought from them multiple times. And now I’ve written a post in my public blog, singing their praises.

And when I discovered that their prices are a little higher than other sites? I didn’t even care. I’m willing to pay a lot more for the guarantee of excellent, dependable customer service. And I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one who feels that way.

Yeah, I’d say Zappos gets it.

Pace and I will be boarding our plane to Ireland in less than 24 hours! I hope I can sleep tonight. I guess I can sleep on the plane, as long as Customs lets me get on it; it’s a long flight.

Since we’ll be in Ireland(!!!), we will be mostly incommunicado for the next three weeks – two spent on the Emerald Isle, and one spent recovering here at home.

We could have queued up a bunch of posts, but I’m no good at pre-writing so far in advance. Instead, we’re going to have a Guest Post Extravaganza and fill the next three weeks with so much awesome from our friends that you might just burst.

Here’s the lineup!

Starting off our Extravaganza and making your Yule more festive on the 21st: Megan Morris, That Idea Blueprint Girl, with Sink the Boat! (It’s a video post, so you get to see how cute Megan is (very!).)

Wednesday, December 23rd: Marissa Bracke, the Can-Do-Ologist, with An Ode to My Creative Spark: A Love Letter in Five Parts.

Brightening up your Christmas Friday: Nathalie Lussier, the Raw Foods Witch, with How to Live the Life of an Outsider and Enjoy It!

Monday, December 28th: Victoria Brouhard of Creating Your Entrepreneurial Life, with On Picking Your Friends.

Wednesday, December 30th: Johnny B. Truant, Making the Internet (and our blog) Awesome with How I’m learning to break the rules.

Kicking off the new year on Friday, January 01: Bob Poole, coming at you from the Water Cooler Hangout, with Happy New Year!

Monday, January 04th: Hayden Tompkins of Through the Illusion, with Here There Be Awesome.

Wednesday, January 06th: Leah Shapiro of Defy the Box, with Where the Juicy Goodness Lies.

And wrapping up the Extravaganza, the incredible Rudi Whitmore, sister of our very own evil illustrator, with Kindness goes to the dogs.

Seriously, I almost wish I was going to be around to read all this incredible stuff.

Except, you know, Ireland. Yeah.

Play nice while we’re gone, darlings, and enjoy all the goodies! See you in the new year! Read the rest of this entry »

If you want to change the world, here are three big reasons why starting your own small business is a great way to do it.

1. Following your heart keeps your heart healthy and happy.

If you spend your weekdays at a job that’s somewhere between “meh” and horrible, that’s not nourishing your soul. How much passion will you have left for changing the world on nights and weekends? How much more passion would you have if you were doing entirely soul-nourishing work instead of soul-sucking work?

If you free your heart from pointless toil, it will blossom in ways you never imagined.

2. Side projects lose momentum.

If you want to change the world on evenings and weekends, that’s super. But how much more good you could you do if you could spend your weekdays on it, too?

What if you put your money where your mouth is?

What if you put your time where your mouth is?

What if you put your commitment where your mouth is?

What if your life’s work and your living were the same thing?

It’s a powerful commitment. If your business doesn’t make money, you don’t pay your bills. If you don’t help people, your business doesn’t make money. That’s a powerful incentive to help people!

And just like not buying junk food or not going to the cheese factory, you’re much more likely to accomplish a big goal if you make one big decision than if you try to make a bunch of little decisions.

3. If you postpone until later, you might as well give up.

If your plan is “I’ll do what I love later” or “I’ll change the world as soon as ______” for whatever you fill in the blank, here’s something to chew on. Po Bronson, in his book What Should I Do With My Life, interviewed 50 people about their passions, career choices, and struggles. Many of them tried the “I’ll do what I love as soon as _______” plan. Guess what the success rate was?

0%. Goose-egg. Zilch. Nada.

Don’t wait. You don’t have to do everything now, but if you want to reach your goal, you do have to do something now.

But capitalism is bad!

Bullshit. Yes, there are a lot of greedy people out there. Yes, there are a lot of unethical companies out there. No, there aren’t a lot of role models for conscious capitalism and ethical entrepreneurship.

So why don’t you become one?

Help others, and accept a fair exchange of value for your help. If you’re worried about manipulating or taking advantage of others, offer a guarantee to ensure you don’t profit unless you actually help your customers.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. If you think that lots of businesses are evil, and that makes you not want to start a business… how about you just don’t be evil?

What path resonates with both your heart and your good sense?

Feel what moves you. Discover what you’re good at. Experiment with what you could be paid to do.

What’s in the intersection of all three?

Do that.

Two months ago, I was constantly terrified.

Sometimes I was able to bury it under the surface, but it would rear its head at horrible times. I would fight with Kyeli about personal and business expenses, and I would randomly flip out in terror of what might happen if the Freak Revolution wasn’t profitable enough soon enough.

Would we lose our house?

Would we have to give up all our comfort and fun things?

Would we have to eat nothing but rice and beans?

Would we have to leave Austin?

Would I have to go back to work full-time at my day job?

Today, I’m at peace.

Well, maybe not at peace, but certainly much farther along on my journey toward finding peace. Still some fear, still some worry, but no more abject terror, no more flip-outs, and no more horrible fights about money. Kyeli, back me up in a comment here? (:

What changed?

Two words: Mark Silver.

I’ve been taking the Heart of Money course, and even though I’m only halfway through, it’s already having a profound effect on my relationship with money.

It doesn’t stop there.

In addition to transforming my relationship with money, it’s also affecting me on a deep spiritual level. I’m learning humility.

Isn’t that one of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse?

I know, I know, I’ve always been pretty egotistical. Empowerment bordering on hubris is a valuable trait for an entrepreneur. It’s like Michelangelo said:

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

But I’m learning that it’s possible to be empowered while still being completely powerless. To explain how, I’ve first got to talk about three different forms of relationships.

Codependence → Independence → Interdependence

Relationships often move through three phases.

In codependence, you depend on others to the exclusion of yourself. You are not a whole person; you’re completed by someone else.

In independence, you are self-sufficient. You are a whole person, empowered, not relying on others. Many modern cultures, especially Western cultures, idealize this phase.

In interdependence, you are self-sufficient but you choose to engage in healthy interactions with others. You are a whole person, and you trust and depend on other whole people in ways that benefit you both.

It’s easy to mistake codependence for interdependence. Heck, I once made that mistake for three years. They’re both forms of dependence, and they look the same on the surface.

Being the Universe’s bitch vs. being the Universe’s bitch

(a subtle distinction)

What I’m learning from the Heart of Money class is that one’s spirituality, one’s relationship with the Divine (or God, or Goddess, or the Universe, or Source, or what have you) also moves through these three phases.

In codependence, you are God’s bitch. That touchdown you just made? God did that. You deserve no credit. You give up all your power and your responsibility to the Divine, keeping none for yourself. Those negative circumstances you find yourself in? You don’t move a muscle to get yourself out. You tell yourself “It’s God’s will” and accept your lot in life.

In independence, you don’t need God. You don’t need spirituality or religion. You’re an atheist or agnostic. You keep all your power to yourself and take all responsibility for yourself. Those negative circumstances you find yourself in? You take action to change them, on your own.

In interdependence, you are God’s bitch. That touchdown you just made? You couldn’t have done that without your God-given gifts. You recognize that all power comes from the Divine, so you claim no power as your own, but accept the responsibility of stewarding it. Those negative circumstances you find yourself in? You use the power you’re stewarding to change them, but if you cannot change them, you accept them as they are, telling yourself “It’s God’s will”.

Eat me like candy.

Codependence and interdependence look awfully similar, don’t they? But really, a more accurate summary of codependence would be that God is your bitch. The Universe is your scapegoat, your ultimate buck-stops-there excuse. Take, for example, this poem by Rumi:

Your prayer should be, “Break the legs of what I want to happen. Humiliate my desire. Eat me like candy. It’s spring, and finally I have no will.”

Sounds like being God’s bitch, right? Sounds like codependence? Nope. Rumi is actually talking about spiritual interdependence. He’s talking about the simultaneous freedom and terror you experience when you realize that the feeling of control you felt in the phase of independence is an illusion.

But this doesn’t mean you’re giving up your power and responsibility, it just means that you’re not claiming them as yours alone. There’s a saying from the Feri tradition:

“Self is God and God is Self and God is a person like myself.”

In “giving up” your power to the Divine, you’re actually bringing it back to yourself in a purified form.

The Heart of Money Transformational Journey

Mark Silver doesn’t actually talk about being God’s bitch in the Heart of Money class. This is my own work that was triggered by the issues we do talk about in class, which cover things like getting in touch with your heart, finding out what spiritual lessons your relationship with money is trying to teach you, learning to face your assets and liabilities, and that sort of thing.

The Heart of Money work is straightforward when you do it, but it causes these deep ripples that change you in tectonic ways.

One thing Mark said that really stuck with me is:

“Imagine you had a partner, and you spent 30 minutes a week kissing her so she wouldn’t leave you, then saying, ‘Sheesh, I’m glad that’s over with.’ That’s not a healthy relationship. It’s not going to grow. But many people have that exact relationship with their bills, and they expect their money to grow. They don’t realize that their financial situation is not going to change unless their relationship with money changes.”

You want to get in on this before July 31.

Mark recently told me that he’s now offering the Heart of Money course as a home study! I’m super excited to share this with you. This has been the single most effective thing I’ve done to change my relationship with money — to stop the fear, the worry, and the flip-outs. Which is in turn changing things in our business, not just for the better, but for the awesomer!

It was hard for me to decide to sign up. I had to push past the very same money-fear issues I wanted to solve in order to buy it. Kinda paradoxical. But I did push through (with oodles of love, support, and persistence from Kyeli), and it was the one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Seriously. It’s been that important for me.

They’re having a sale where the Heart of Money Homestudy is like 50% off or something ridiculous if you pre-order before July 31st. So I encourage you to check it out now before the price goes up. Mark Silver is an amazing human being, and I stand behind him and his work one hundred percent. (He’s even on our sidebar of Revolutionaries!)

Click this link: Heart of Money Home Study

And since I’ve been quoting so many famous people in this post, I’d like to end with a quote from the immortal Martin Whitmore:

“Yes.”

I am extremely lucky; one of my best friends in the entire world is Megan Elizabeth Morris.

Megan is fucking awesome.

We met at a poly 101 meeting, where Pace and I were teaching the Usual Error material. In her check-in, Pace said, “I think Megan is hot.”

We’ve all been friends ever since.

Megan is someone you want on your team. She’s brilliant, witty, hilarious, gorgeous, silly. She has a huge presence. Her voice ranges from insanely cute and tiny to blow your mind opera singer big (she’s an actual opera singer). Her hair is curly, her eyes are bright, her smile infectious.

And she’s started a new business.

Why you want to work with Megan…

Megan helps me think outside the box. She reminds me to look for alternate solutions, helps me find alternate solutions.

When I brainstorm with her, I learn to brainstorm by myself more effectively. I ask myself, What might Megan do here? and then I can think more outside-the-box-ly.

She also taught me that it’s okay – indeed, fun and helpful – to write and color and highlight in books. Before I saw her do it, I never would have done it. Now, I scribble in the margins with abandon, highlight the juicy bits with glee. It makes my books more mine – and helps me learn. With her help, I’ve realized how visual I am, and can teach myself more effectively.

…especially on new projects.

I would particularly recommend Megan to you if you’re just getting started with a project or business. When we’re in that new and start-up phase, we tend to get fixated on one way (sometimes two) of doing things, and get really boxed in – but that can really fuck up your brand-new baby business!

If, however, you get some time with Megan, together you can make mad blueprints and color all over poster boards and brainstorm like wildfire, and get alternate ways of doing things that they can build into the foundation of your project or business, which will make you stronger, smarter, and more effective from the very beginning!

In my not-so-humble opinion, Megan doesn’t charge nearly what she’s worth. Brainstorming is incredibly underrated in general, and having someone help you brainstorm is *invaluable*. It’s an outside perspective, a look from a non-stuck, non-scary place that most people can’t get to on their own. In our conversations, I’ve gained ideas that will make me mad amounts of cash (wait and see; they’re coming!), as well as a fresh perspective that keeps me interested in and excited about what I do!

Knowing that all I have to do to get some awesome ideas when I’m feeling stuck is throw some money Megan’s direction inspires me to keep going on those harder days. I don’t know of anyone else who does what she does, but even if a million people did it, she’d still be the best.

She even does it for free.

There’s a whole page of free ideas over on her site. She really gets it – she understands that you can’t sell ideas, so she doesn’t even try.

I really admire that about her. It shows an understanding of the way the world (and the internet) works that runs deep, like a gold streak in a riverbed.

So, imagine you get stuck.

You could go to the bookstore and buy a book, but then you have to make time to read it, and what if it’s written poorly or in a style you don’t get? You’d need another book! And then, the cycle starts over.

But what if you had help from a real live human? One with endless enthusiasm and boundless brilliance?

Megan! (: Her ideas are far more fun, entertaining, and interesting than anything you’ll ever find in any book, thought up by an intelligent, witty, clever woman with an exceptional mind, sharp perception, and the ability to see all 20 sides of a icosahedron at once (and who will color all 20 sides a different awesome color). She adds cohesion to a scattered mess, brings light to those dark times when your brain won’t think.

She can create blueprints that will illustrate what you’ve missed and show you new and exciting ways of doing what you haven’t.

That Idea Blueprint Girl

Last week, Megan launched her new business, That Idea Blueprint Girl.

When she started talking about it, I started dancing. I could barely sit still! Ever since she and I took our friendship into the business world and started collaborating, I’ve been dazzled by her and hoping she would do for others what she does for me – and get paid mad amounts of cash for it.

I recommend Megan to you – any of you – for any project under the sun. In fact, I excitedly and wholeheartedly recommend her to you even if you don’t even have a project yet, because that’s what an Idea Blueprint Girl is for!

I know I keep talking about it in vague “omg this is awesome” bits and bites, but today I’m devoting an entire post to the magick and awesomeness of Declutter Goddesses. (That’s my affiliate link, so I do get a share of the monies if you use it, but that changes nothing for me. I’d still sing praises all over the world from the top of mountains and the bottom of rivers for this course without that.)

The leaders of this magnificent class are Lisa of Divine Order and Leonie of Goddess Guidebook. Lisa’s an Organizer (to understate) and Leonie’s a Goddess Guide. They are both incredibly smart and loving, gentle and delightful, and I can’t even imagine a better guide for the journey of decluttering.

I thought this would just help me get rid of stuff.

I used to buy stuff because I wanted stuff. I wasn’t careful what I bought. If I wanted something right there in that moment, I’d get it. I didn’t think about long-term usage or desire.

Needless to say, I accumulated a lot of stuff. And as I grow and change, my stuff doesn’t, and I stopped wanting a lot of it… but was utterly unable to bring myself to get rid of any of it. Then, I heard about this class, and I know these two lovely ladies, and I knew they’d be able to coax me into ditching the stuff I had that I didn’t want anymore.

I happily signed up, on the basis that it was worth the money just to learn how to get rid of some of my crap.

Little did I know…

Delving into the reasons I keep things. Delving into the reasons I buy things. Learning surprising things.

I wound up in tears the first week. I was surrounded by the love and light Lisa and Leonie fill each page with, and I burst into tears as I realized that a huge part of the stress in my life is caused by the mess in my environment.

All that clutter? It piles up on me, spiritually and mentally. It prevents me from being able to work efficiently, but more than that it prevents me from feeling clear. I didn’t know how connected to my environment I am, how visual I am, or how directly related unwanted clutter is to the stress and heartsickness that I’ve been feeling for months now.

Life-changing decluttering.

Lisa the Divine Declutter-er does the declutter side of the plan. This work came into my life and stared gently shining lights on my life. I knew it probably would, but not to what degree. It’s affecting not just my environment, but my entire life.

My money issues have started evaporating. When I want to buy something, I’ve started asking myself, “Would I want this on my altar?” “Is this actually useful in some way?”

If the answers are “no”, I don’t buy it. I’m pre-decluttering – and saving lots of money. Woo!

I got rid of a ton of clothes that don’t fit or make me sad or upset. I kept thinking, “Will I wear this in the next few days?” “Will I like how I look in this?” If the answer was no, I got rid of it!

I got rid of a bunch of stuff that’s useful to someone else, but no longer useful to me. I kept asking, “Will I use this? Can someone else get use out of it right now?”

I imagined Lisa standing there with me, gently asking me these questions and helping me when I get stuck – and I can email her if I get too stuck, and then she is right there.

Life-changing magickal reminders.

Then there’s Goddess Leonie. From her, I’m learning about all kinds of interesting and magicakal stuff – but mostly, she’s reminding me that I’m a Witch, and reminding me how wonderful and powerful I am.

The first week, I wound up in tears as I looked around my house and realized how little I have that actually fuels me, and how much I have that tears me down. We had only one altar and it’s kind of stagnant and I don’t feel like I can change it.

So I walked around the house and felt like a little Faery Leonie was fluttering near my shoulder, encouraging me to see the sacred in everything I own, and if something felt wrong, I got rid of it. And then I built an altar on my desk, one that enriches my workspace and makes me feel creative and whole whenever I sit there.

I’ve learned Feng Shui and how to build crystal grids, and been reminded to get in touch with my self and my Self… and if I get scared or stuck, I know Leonie’s right there and I can email her and she’ll help me out.

Two parts of a huge whole.

I keep talking about it because it’s changing my life. I want you to take it – not because Lisa is awesome (though she is), not because Leonie is awesome (though she is) – but because it is worth every penny and every second you’ll invest.

We accumulate clutter through life, often without even noticing. We pile up stuff and create mess, and it stagnates and creates stagnation in other aspects of our life without us even being aware of it. This course gently and lovingly creates awareness, and teaches you what to do about it in sweet, easily-digestible stages that you can take at your own pace.

World-changing earth-shaking love-creating space-shaping clutter-removing treasure-making work. Even if only half of my work is this powerful and sacred, I’m well on my way to being a supernova of awesome.

The course is starting up again tomorrow, Tuesday July 14th. And to join me, all you have to do is click this link and sign up!

Okay, we’re a little scatterbrained today. It’s the cusp of a three-day weekend, after all.

As the headline suggests, so many neat things kept popping up today, we decided to throw them together and add a follow-up to this morning’s first Community Update to include them all.

Did you become a social worker to change the world?

Bob Poole wrote another awesome article about the Freak Revolution. This time, I was flipping out while Pace read it aloud to me, devoutly hoping that it ended with someone who was either already a FR member or who would be by the end of today (Bob’s a member, so it all worked out). It’s incredibly cool.

Project Mojave & The Liberation Manifesto

Johnny Truant and Jonathan Mead and a bunch of other cool people (like Dave Navarro) have gotten together and are doing incredibly awesome things. Things like a 3-month course to get people out of their day jobs and into their dreams.

The last chance to be a part of it is today, so we couldn’t wait to share this tidbit. We think it’s going to rock. (: Check it out here. (Warning: video starts playing automatically, and is difficult to shut off.)

Also, Jonathan Mead wrote a really fucking awesome kick-ass manifesto, which we highly recommend you read.

Clutter Clearing

The sweet, darling Lisa Baldwin is doing a clutter clearing course, starting Monday, which will help you organize your stuff so you can get shit done.

And you’ll like working with Lisa. She’s one of our favorite people – and a fellow Freaky Revolutionary.

and, late-breaking news from the personal lives of Pace and Kyeli…

Our landlord, awesome dude that he is, gave us a full week off our rent this month for all the inconvenience of dealing with the mold and the ensuing repairs and guys trekking in and out of the house at odd times and having our cabinets ripped out and our cats terrorized.

Sweet!

Okay, that’s really it this time.

Have a fabbity fab fab fabulous marvie-darvie Memorial Day weekend (or minus Memorial Day, depending on your country and your choice). We’re gonna go spend some money on something fun! (Well, Kyeli is. Pace will hoard her half. After we split the cost of dinner.)

Ta!

I just finished reading Listen First – Sell Later by Bob Poole. It was informative and useful to me as an entrepreneur and a marketer. There’s some good concrete advice in there that I have taken to heart and will act on. Blah blah blah. Because that’s not what impressed me the most about the book.

What impressed me most about the book is what a wonderful world we would live in if every salesperson read it and took it to heart. He talks about how salespeople are perceived as sleazy, why it got that way, and how to be a successful salesperson (or really, a successful person) without being sleazy in any way.

I dog-eared about 20 pages on my first read through this book. Here are some quotes from the book; some of the most exciting “A-ha!” moments and some of the passages that inspired me the most.

Stop being a salesperson. Become a solutions provider. You’ll be much more productive. It’s more fun. And, it’s the right thing to do.

Start compiling a database of every person you meet.

And wow! Near the end there’s an amazing chapter about love overcoming fear. This is not just a book about sales or marketing. It’s a book about life and how to live it well. It’s written by a warm, caring man, and his passion for life and people shines through on every page.

Read it. Be informed. Be inspired.